“Meditation” in the popular lexicon is a broad term, encompassing a variety of mindfulness practices and techniques. Focusing your attention on the present, allowing thoughts of the past or future to simply pass through your mind freely—this is what is meant to be mindful.
Meditation does not entail emptying one’s mind of thoughts but rather not becoming attached to them. This can be achieved through several methods: from focusing on your breath or bodily sensations, to repeating a mantra, listening to certain music or chants, or being guided in meditation. Meditation can be done sitting on the ground, on a bed, in a chair, lying down, walking, or in any scenario where one can feel mentally present.
In our increasingly stressful world, learning to be more mindful can be beneficial, decreasing anxiety and stress. The Harvard Gazette reported that in 2015, 16.1 million Americans were experiencing major depression. In the report, Dr. Benjamin Shapero, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program, said that while behavioral therapy and antidepressants help many people, there are also many others who do not benefit from these interventions, creating a greater need for alternative approaches like meditation.
Even those not afflicted by depression are increasingly experiencing stress. The American Psychological Association recently reported that the nation has reached a new high point in the nation’s stress quotient. The organization’s “Stress in America” survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans are stressed over the nation’s future, and more than half are distressed by the divisiveness present in everyday life.
Reducing stress is one of the most common reasons people try meditation, which can have long-term benefits. Dr. Kate Erickson of Ketchum’s Integrate Internal Medicine, who often recommends mindfulness in her treatment plans for patients, explained that when our stress response is activated, it releases cortisol. If this becomes chronic, constantly elevated cortisol levels can lead to problems such as hypertension, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes, and other conditions.
Dr. Cory Szybala of Sun Valley Natural Medicine explained that his practice often recommends mindfulness and meditation because they address one of the most fundamental drivers of chronic disease: dysregulation of the nervous system. “This dysregulation contributes to a wide range of physical, emotional, and cognitive issues,” he noted. “Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system—our ‘rest and digest’ mode—supporting the body’s natural healing capacity.”
The mind–body connection is borne out in the research. A 2018 Harvard study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that the mere act of clearing your mind for 15 minutes a day alters how your genes operate. Researchers found that people who meditated over an eight-week period had a positive change in the expression of 172 genes that regulate inflammation, circadian rhythms, and glucose metabolism, which, in turn, led to a meaningful decrease in blood pressure.
This isn’t to say that meditation is the end-all, be-all answer to every ailment, but it is certainly a good practice to incorporate along with medical recommendations from one’s doctor.
“Everyone can benefit from including a mindfulness practice into their daily routine/ritual,” said Szybala. “We see mindfulness as a foundational lifestyle tool—one that empowers patients to build resilience, develop body awareness, and create space between stimulus and response. It is the reason most of us live here; we can find mindfulness in hiking, biking, walking, sitting, and just being in nature—either alone or with friends.”